If you’ve heard about WooCommerce (a WordPress plugin to create eCommerce stores) but are unsure whether it’s good for your website development, you’ve come to the right place.
In this blog post, we have shared some of the common questions and answers that most of our clients ask us.
Let’s begin!
What’s WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that can be used to build a professional eCommerce website. Most website developers and agencies in Singapore prefer using WooCommerce for the development of eCommerce websites for their clients.
How is WooCommerce related to WordPress?
As explained above, WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin to create eCommerce stores. WordPress, being a plugin, can not run the website alone. You need to have a WordPress website setup in order to use the WooCommerce plugin. There is no special backend for WooCommerce however WooCommerce plugin comes with a few options to perform various settings and configurations. When you install a WooCommerce plugin with a WordPress website, you will see a tab of “WooCommerce” in the admin dashboard of your website. Here’s the place from where you can configure different settings to run your eCommerce website.
Do I need to pay to use WooCommerce?
No, WooCommerce is a free plugin that you can use with any WordPress website. Unlike other premium plugins, you don’t have to pay any monthly or annual fee to use a WooCommerce plugin.
What’s more?
WooCommerce developers are available to build or revamp your eCommerce store at an affordable cost. In other words, there is no scarcity of WooCommerce developers in the marketplace. The codes of the WooCommerce plugin have been written in PHP which is a very common scripting language in the web development industry.
Can WooCommerce build any type of eCommerce store?
Technically, yes. You can use the WooCommerce plugin to build any kind of online store. Whether you need a basic store to sell a couple of items, dozens of items, or even hundreds of items, WooCommerce can accommodate all.
At Innomedia, we have developed all types of websites using WooCommerce. Below are some of the website types that our team of WooCommerce developers have worked on using WooCommerce:
- Single-vendor eCommerce website
- Multi-vendor eCommerce website (marketplace)
- Online service booking websites (for car service/repair, car rental, shared offices, etc. )
- Appointment booking (for doctors, consultants, etc. )
Why should I choose WooCommerce among other eCommerce options?
There are many reasons for you to choose WooCommerce for website development. Below are some of those major reasons:
- WooCommerce is a free plugin and doesn’t come with any recurring costs.
- There are lots of WordPress themes that support WooCommerce
- WooCommerce is scalable and can be extended according to your business expansion.
- WooCommerce developers are affordable. You can find plenty of options for hiring WooCommerce developers in Singapore.
- WooCommerce comes with SEO benefits (from WordPress).
- There are lots of plugins that support WooCommerce.
- WooCommerce can be used to build different types of online stores such as multivendor eCommerce shops, marketplace, dropshipping websites, etc.
How much is the average WooCommerce website cost?
The cost to build a WooCommerce store in Singapore may start at SGD 3000 and can go up to SGD 10000 or more. For a basic eCommerce store development using WooCommerce, you don’t have to more more than SGD 3000. Below are some of the features that you will get at this cost:
- A nice design (WooCommerce theme)
- All the required eCommerce features such as add to cart, checkout, add to wishlist, payment gateway integration, shipping charges integration, discount coupons, etc.
- Logo design
- Web hosting & domain name
- Free support & maintenance
- Assistance with uploading products to your online store
Can I manage my WooCommerce store easily?
Yes, even a layman eCommerce webmaster can manage a WooCommerce store easily. As we know WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin and WordPress backend is known to be one of the user-friendly & easy-to-use systems. All that you need to take control of your eCommerce website is a brief guide or manual from your web developer. Most of our clients at Innomedia have taken full control of their eCommerce stores and are able to manage their online shop without our assistance.
Is WooCommerce secure?
There are several security plugins that are available to use with a WordPress website. One such plugin is ‘All in One WP Security’. This plugin enables you or your web developer to configure a lot of settings to protect your website from hackers and spammers.
The ‘All in One WP Security’ plugin enables you to:
- Restrict access to crucial files of your WooCommerce store.
- Change the conventional URL of your website’s admin.
- Set up a firewall for your website.
- Lock your website’s admin after unsuccessful login attempts.
Is WooCommerce SEO-friendly?
Yes, being a WordPress plugin, the architecture of the WooCommerce store is also SEO-friendly. Additionally, you can find lots of SEO plugins that can be used with your WooCommerce store.
What type of products can I sell with WooCommerce?
WooCommerce allows you to sell different types of products as per your requirements. With WooCommerce, you can sell:
- Physical products like electronics, clothing, furniture, fashion accessories, etc.
- Digital products such as software, e-books, and music.
- Subscription-based products that allow you to offer recurring billing for your customers.
- Affiliate products that allow you to sell other merchants’ products and earn a commission on each sale.
- Booking & appointments can also be sold on WooCommerce websites for businesses like Salon, Clinics, etc.
- Auction-based selling can also be done through a WooCommerce store.
- There is an abundance of options for you to choose with WooCommerce. Hire a WooCommerce developer now!
Can I use a custom design with my WooCommerce store?
Yes, you can customize the design of your WooCommerce store in any way you like. But you have to make sure that you hire only experienced WordPress developers who know the architecture of WordPress folders and can customize the theme files with their custom codes.
At Innomedia, our team of WordPress developers provides theme customization services to our clients. Whether it’s about some minor changes to the design of your theme or customizing the whole theme for a new design, our developers can do them all.
Can I integrate 3rd party tools with my WooCommerce website?
Yes, there are lots of 3rd party tools & software that provide WordPress plugins to integrate WooCommerce stores with their systems. Whether you need accounting software or a shipping system to be integrated with your WooCommerce store, you can do it easily with the help of a WordPress plugin that will be provided by the 3rd party tool developers.
If there is no plugin provided by your accounting or logistics provider, you can get API documentation from them so that your WordPress developer can customize your eCommerce store and integrate necessary 3rd party systems with it.
Does WooCommerce support multiple currencies?
Yes, there are several WordPress plugins such as “CURCY” that you can integrate with your WooCommerce store to add multiple currencies to your online shop.
Can I offer discount codes or coupons in WooCommerce?
Yes, WooCommerce has a built-in feature that allows you to create and manage discount codes or coupons directly from the WordPress dashboard.
- Below are some of the features that come with discount codes system of a WooCommerce store:
- Add a new discount coupon and name it.
- Set an expiry date for the discount coupons.
- Set a fixed amount or a percentage of discount for your customers.
What are the different types of WooCommerce websites in Singapore?
Below are some of the common types of WooCommerce websites that most Singapore developers can build for you:
- Retail eCommerce store: It’s the most common type of eCommerce website where most businesses sell physical products like clothing, electronics, beauty products, etc.
- Digital Products store: This kind of WooCommerce store allows you to sell digital/downloadable products on your website. These digital products may include eBooks, music, software, courses, etc.
- Subscription-based store: If you want to sell a subscription-based product or service for which you may charge your customers recurring payments, WooCommerce can help you.
- Marketplace store: A marketplace store is a website where multiple vendors or sellers can join and sell their products on a single platform. Some of the best examples of a marketplace are Amazon, Lazada, etc.
- Booking website: WooCommerce can also help businesses to integrate appointment booking features into their websites. These kinds of websites are good for businesses like Salons, Clinics, etc.
What are the common payment methods used in WooCommerce websites?
Here are some of the most common ones:
- PayPal (PayPal Checkout & PayPal Standard)
- Stripe (credit cards/debit cards, Apple Pay, etc.)
- Cash on Delivery (COD)
- WooCommerce Payments
Is there any checklist that developers follow before launching a WooCommerce website?
Yes, every professional WooCommerce/WordPress developer in Singapore follows their checklist before launching their client’s website. Below are some of those important checkpoints:
- Test product pages to ensure all product pages are complete with accurate descriptions, pricing, and high-quality images.
- Test payment gateways and verify that all payment gateways are configured correctly. Most WordPress developers also make test payments first to ensure smooth transactions before making the website live.
- Review shipping options available in the store to ensure that shipping methods and rates are set up properly for all applicable regions.
- If applicable, set up tax rules and ensure that they are correctly configured for your products and customer locations.
- Properly test the entire checkout process with multiple test purchases to verify the entire checkout flow works smoothly.
- Check for the loading speed and optimize the website (by optimizing images, scripts, and using a caching plugin) for it. Optimize for Speed.
- Install & ensure that the SSL certificate is in place so that the site is secured with an SSL certificate to protect customer data.
- Make sure to enable inventory management to track stock levels and avoid overselling.
- Review the cart page & its functionality to test the shopping cart to ensure items can be added, removed, and quantities updated correctly.
- Test coupon codes to verify that any discount or coupon codes work as expected during checkout.
- Set up email notifications and test order confirmation, shipping, and other customer notification emails.
- Ensure mobile responsiveness of the WooCommerce store to make it work well on mobile devices.
- Check customer accounts and verify that customers can create, access, and manage their accounts without issues.
- Troubleshoot and fix broken links on the website, if any.
Is it easy to redesign an existing WooCommerce website?
In most cases, yes, it’s pretty straightforward (as compared to redesigning a custom-design eCommerce website) to redesign a WooCommerce store. All that your web developer needs to do is install a new theme and make minor changes/customizations to it according to your specific needs.
Of course, your web developer may have to do several customizations to match your new design to your expectations, but it’s still easier than redesigning a custom design where your developer may have to develop new files according to your new design.
What all can I do to secure my WooCommerce store?
There are many things that you or your WordPress developer can do to secure your WooCommerce website. Below-mentioned are some of those activities:
- Use a Secure Hosting Provider
- Keep WordPress, WooCommerce, and Plugins Updated
- Implement Strong Passwords
- Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
- Install a Security Plugin like “All in One WP Security”
- Enable SSL (Secure Socket Layer)
- Limit Login Attempts
- Regularly Back Up Your Store
- Restrict Admin Access
- Disable File Editing (The “All in One WP Security” plugin offers this feature)
- Monitor and Audit Logs
- Use Secure Payment Gateways
- Regularly Review User Accounts
- Harden wp-config.php File
- Secure the Database